The King's Brother and Heir Presumptive
While the King retained the liberal charter, Charles patronised members of the ultra-royalists in parliament, such as Jules de Polignac, the writer François-René de Chateaubriand and Jean-Baptiste de Villèle and on several occasions, Charles voiced his disapproval of his brother's liberal ministers and threatened to leave the country unless Louis XVIII dismissed them. Louis, in turn, feared that his brother’s and heir presumptive’s ultra-royalist tendencies would send the family into exile once more.
On 14 February 1820, Charles’s younger son, the Duke of Berry, was assassinated at the Paris Opera. This loss not only devastated the family but also put the continuation of the Bourbon dynasty in jeopardy, as the Duke of Angoulême’s marriage had not produced any children. Parliament debated the abolition of the Salic law, which excluded females from the succession and was long held inviolable. However, the Duke of Berry’s widow, Caroline of Naples and Sicily, was found to be pregnant and on 29 September 1820 gave birth to a son, Henri, Duke of Bordeaux. His birth was hailed as “God-given”, and the people of France bought for him the Château de Chambord in celebration of his birth. As a result, his granduncle, Louis XVIII, added the title Count de Chambord, hence Henry, Count of Chambord, the name by which he is usually known.
Read more about this topic: Charles X Of France
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